Holly Ridge Center

Mission, Vision, Values

At Holly Ridge Center, we create opportunities to empower people with disabilities to reach their fullest potential.  The vision behind our work is an inclusive community where we learn, work, & play together. while deeply valuing Respect, Inclusion, and Compassion.  

Description

Holly Ridge Center serves individuals with developmental delays and disabilities through three primary programs: an Infant Toddler Program (ITP), Adult Employment Services (AES), and Lifespan Inclusion, serving people with disabilities at every stage of life.

Our Infant Toddler Program is the only Neurodevelopmental Center in Kitsap and North Mason Counties. We provide relationship-focused Early Support Services for families with children, ages birth to three, who present with one or more developmental delays or disabilities. Because 85% of brain development occurs in the first three years, early support is critical. 39% of children who graduate from Holly Ridge Center require no further specialized services! We served 1.401 children in 2025, often more than 500 families a month.

The families served often face significant barriers: up to 80% live at or below the poverty line, and many experience housing instability, food insecurity, medical complexity, or are in foster care or child welfare systems. Holly Ridge Center addresses these challenges through coordinated, multidisciplinary care, including therapy services, early education, mental health support, nutrition services, and family resource coordination. We also provide culturally responsive services and support military families stationed at Naval Base Kitsap who face frequent relocations and disruptions in care. 

Families consistently identify transitions—diagnosis, school entry, and adulthood—as the most challenging times in their journey. Holly Ridge Center’s Lifespan Inclusion Department bridges service gaps by providing continuous support between, beyond, and alongside programs. Lifespan Inclusion is comprised of the Kitsap County Parent Coalition, which helps families navigate complex systems such as developmental disability services, education, and public benefits; Kitsap Parent to Parent, which offers peer mentorship and emotional support; and the Autism Resources Navigator, which helps families access timely diagnosis, services, and regional resources while contributing to broader systems change. This aligns with our strategic vision to expand beyond age-limited services, strengthen family engagement, and cultivate advocacy and community leadership among parents and caregivers.

ITP Impact Story:

Meet DJ! A recent graduate of the Infant Toddler Program, DJ is a child with Autism who received various therapies at Holly Ridge Center, including ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and Speech Therapy. The video of DJ (in the Media Gallery) showcases the use of the AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communications) device and the difference it made in DJ's ability to communicate.  

"The thing that has been really cool with DJ is that as soon as we gave this to him, he started exploring it and figuring out how it worked. We learned that he knows so much more than we thought he did. We knew he was smart, but he did not have a way of showing us a lot of what he knew." --Staci, DJ's Speech-Language Pathologist.  

The Adult Employment Services (AES) program supports competitive, integrated, person-centered employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have built a reputation for providing quality customer service to our job-seeking clients and the community partners who employ them.  In 2025, we worked with 109 individuals, had 83% employment retention, and 20 new job placements.  

AES Impact Story: 

David is an Adult Employment Services client celebrating his 10th anniversary working at Ballast Books in Bremerton!

Store owner Kate reflected on how much David has grown since he started.  "He's more confident with greeting customers, better at time tracking, and transitions independently between tasks. David's impact on the store has been immense, she says, "people come by every week just to say hi to him."

Full article on our website: https://hollyridge.org/celebrating-david/       

  

                                       

Your financial support for Holly Ridge Center will help ensure we can: 

• Sustain critical Early Support Services for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and delays. 

• Expand employment opportunities for adults with disabilities, to develop skills and gain access to tools, preparing them for meaningful and lasting employment of their choosing.    

• Strengthen Lifespan Inclusion programs that provide navigation, peer support, and community connection.

More information about Holly Ridge Center and its programs can be found at www.hollyridge.org. 

Recognition

Thank you! Your generous support of Holly Ridge Center ensures that all people can live to their fullest potential.